


asterisk

by ndnickerson



Category: Nancy Drew (TV 2019)
Genre: Couch Sex, Declarations Of Love, Episode Tag, F/M, Jossed, Missionary Position, Reconciliation, Reconciliation Sex, Safer Sex, boy i wish this had happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:27:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22594768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: Set immediately after 1x10; jossed by 1x11. After the latest in a series of near-death experiences, Nancy can't stop herself from sending Nick a late-night message.
Relationships: Nancy Drew/Ned Nickerson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	asterisk

Nancy glanced toward her closed closet door again, and sighed. Her alarm clock read just after two a.m., and no matter how much tea she drank, her throat still felt raw.

Ever since she had hung up with her father, she had been thinking about it.

It wouldn't hurt to text Nick right now. He'd see it in the morning, they could talk about it, he'd... he'd understand that it was just for her case...

_No, he wouldn't._ He'd all but begged her to open up to him, and this would stray perilously close to a line she didn't want them to cross. Maybe, maybe she had been close to getting there before, but God, it had stung when he hadn't been willing to give her time.

_What are friends for?_

But they weren't. They never could be, not really. She didn't make a good friend to anyone, not now, and the last thing she wanted was to put anyone else in danger. Especially after today.

But she found her hand on her phone anyway.

_Do you have some time later on? I need a favor._ She cringed when she tapped the _Send_ button.

Her stomach was churning, and she had almost convinced herself to send a _never mind_ message when her phone vibrated.

_I have time now. What's up?_

_it's too complicated to do over text_

_be right there_

_No_ , she almost replied. She needed the documents Nick had been poring over, thanks to Tiffany's own detective work, and she doubted he would bring them with him.

But he'd make a good sounding board, if she could just bring herself to tell him what she had in mind. He was familiar with the documents; he could find what she needed and check over it.

Because she definitely had _no_ fucking intention of keeping any notes in her house anymore. Nothing more than _Carson Drew is innocent,_ dashed off fifty times like a punishment, left in plain sight for Karen.

_God._ And people thought _Nancy_ hung her hunches on thin evidence. The HBPD was coming after Nancy for _thirdhand_ evidence that wasn't even crucial to the case. Nancy had no intention of directing them toward Nick, who needed less police presence in his life. Every time she thought of him and police, her mind went to those bearer bonds, and Nick's paranoia. No one would believe Tiffany had meant for him to have them, especially not Ryan.

And for all Nancy knew, HBPD was keeping their security cameras trained on her block, just in case they could glean anything else from her sleuthing.

Nancy glanced down at her outfit, then the clock. She had just made it to her front door and stepped out onto the front porch when the truck door slammed.

As Nick approached, she cursed herself and put a slow smile on her face. "Thank God you're here," she said, opening her arms. She trained her gaze on him, looking nowhere else. Best to make it convincing.

And, for his part, Nick just accepted it. He wrapped her in a warm hug that seemed to shortcut everything, as she realized she hadn't stopped to put on a bra.

She backed up, leading him inside, and as she swung the door shut, his lips found hers.

She whimpered, but God, it had been _so long_ and she felt like she was drowning, and this was so familiar. If he—

They were still wrapped around each other, a foot inside the doorway, when he broke the kiss, muttering a curse under his breath. "This isn't why you asked me over," he said, almost gruffly.

"I didn't, technically," she said, looking into his eyes, failing to suppress a smile. God, was her heart in her eyes? She felt so warm, and her body very much wanted to pick up where they had left off. She was just so very used to turning her mind off when she was with him. She had been eager to lose herself in him, to forget everything for a while.

But he wanted more of her than that.

His lips tightened in a parody of a smile, in return. His clothes were rumpled; he'd seemingly paused only to shrug into a jacket and shoes. She could taste fresh mint on her tongue from the sweep of his. "You didn't," he agreed, more than a hint of pain in his sweet, warm eyes. "What was that?"

She glanced away as he released her, but her fingers caught his. "In case I'm under surveillance," she admitted. "I don't want them to come after you, and..."

"Late-night booty call felt like a good excuse, huh." He hunched his shoulders, then relaxed them. Then he glanced at their joined hands, but didn't release her fingers. "What'd you need?"

"You'd noticed the timing of the Hudsons' payment to my father." Nick nodded. "I'm looking for a payment to someone who might have done more than just cover tracks."

He blew out his breath. "Guess that was your dad's explanation for it."

She pressed her lips together and nodded.

"You're trying to get him off, _now_?"

She released his hand and took a step back, crossing her arms. "He didn't do this."

Nick met her gaze steadily. She didn't flinch. "But you thought he might have," he said finally, quietly.

She flushed and glanced away, then. "It's humiliating enough to have this splashed all over the front page of the newspaper," she said, working not to force it through clenched teeth.

"Hey." Nick held up his hands, palms out. "When you asked for a favor, I didn't really think you meant..." He glanced down at his pants, then back up at her. "A part of me was _hoping_ you did, but you can be single-minded. I'm not here to tear you down."

She tilted her head, tears beginning to prick in her eyes. "And why not?" She tightened her arms. Today had been just too, too fucking much. The joy on his face after Lucy had basically screamed her awake; realizing just how broken she was over her father, even with their relationship in comparative shambles...

"I told you. I only hurt people."

He searched her eyes. "Remember who you're talking to," he said, but his voice was gentle. "Nan, my heart belongs to you. It has for a _while_ now." He chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head. "Whatever pain I'm in right now, it's self-inflicted. I have to believe that one day, you'll be able to open up to me. I will _always_ be ready for that. But until then... you're the only person who can make yourself believe that the world isn't yours to carry. Me, George, Ace—we came with you today with our eyes wide open. If we hadn't, you probably wouldn't be here."

She set her jaw. "And because you did, all of you were at risk."

Nick threw his hands up in a quick incredulous gesture. "Thanks to _Claire_ , not you."

"You wouldn't have been in danger if you hadn't come after me."

"We wouldn't have been in danger if Claire hadn't decided to play Angel of Death. Like I said. I'm not gonna let you shoulder the weight on this one." He set his own jaw. "Believe me. When the guilt is justified, you'll _know_ it. Until then, let it go." He took a small step toward her, a grin splitting his face, his teeth bright in the gloom. "Let yourself delight in just being alive."

"While—"

He closed the space between them, grabbing her upper arms. "There's no asterisk, no fine print. You're alive. We're alive. We're free. And we'll get your dad out of there."

Now she was the one to stand on her tiptoes and press her mouth to his.

Nick paused for a second—she could feel him inhale, the slight movement against her cheeks—and then he was returning her kiss just as fiercely. He released her arms and gathered her to him, and she twined her arms around him too, as some twisted, fraying knot in her belly began to relax. It relaxed a little more with every second he didn't pull away.

They had taken a few steps together when she heard a quiet, dull sound, and Nick snickered quietly, breaking the kiss. "Really?" he muttered, gesturing toward the ghost trap he had bumped into.

"Really," she gasped, searching his eyes, willing him back to her, willing him not to stop and think and reconsider.

And it worked. "Nan," he breathed against her neck as his hand slid under her shirt, catching it, pushing it up a few inches. She felt his teeth glance against her skin and she shuddered, tugging at his coat.

"Where?" he gasped, when they broke for air a few minutes later. He was down to his underwear, and her pajama top was unbuttoned, revealing a line of pale bare flesh. She didn't think he'd quite given her a hickey, but she hadn't missed those glances he'd thrown Owen's way, either.

Nick cast a glance toward the stairs, and Nancy shook her head. "Don't think we'd be alone up there," she muttered. Nick raised his eyebrows. "Long story," she sighed, lacing her fingers through his and leading him toward the couch.

"Shorten it," he suggested.

"Remember how I said I thought maybe Lucy made it back, too?"

Nick muttered a curse under his breath, glancing up again, but no ominous creak or groan replied. "Point taken," he replied, and then he grinned when Nancy tugged to guide him down on top of her, her legs already open, knees parted to cradle him between her thighs.

"I love where your head's at, but..."

She gasped in protest when he made a quick dash, returning with a pair of foil wrappers. She raised a reddish-gold eyebrow, propped up a little on her elbows.

"What? Always be prepared." He tossed them onto the coffee table, then obeyed her beckoning.

For the first thirty seconds, Nancy caught herself wondering when HBPD's finest would knock on the door, hoping to catch an eyeful. Then she wasn't wondering about anything beyond the couch and the two of them, not at all. God, _this_ —from the first time, this had always been incredible, but even more so when they'd finally started drawing closer, once he'd told her about his past. She'd wanted to know him; she still did, even though she'd been so wary after he'd broken off their relationship.

And this... she didn't know what this was. She only knew what she wanted it to be.

She whimpered into his mouth when he slid inside her, and then she felt his breath inside her ear as they settled into that familiar rhythm, slow at first, sweet, filling her to the point of something a breath away from pain, and then she relaxed into the tenderness, gasping when he rubbed against her clit. She grasped his back, tipping her chin up, her eyes sewn shut in pleasure as he kept going.

He breathed her name and she was grinning as she blinked up at him. He kissed her again, deep, slow, and she felt his soft grunt of surprise as she shifted the angle of her hips on his next thrust. She breathed a curse, the sound of it swallowed as she swiped her tongue against his.

At the garage, she didn't bother muffling herself; here, she was so accustomed to her father's presence that it took her a moment to remember. She cried out as she felt her climax coiling tight in her, clenching her around him, and she could see the tension in his expression as he held himself back. She arched, sobbing, and when they came together, a tear streaked down her cheek.

God. It would never be like this with anyone else.

He lowered himself to her, sighing, nestling against her as the aftershocks quivered between them. She stroked her fingertips over the back of his neck, her lashes drifting down.

"My heart belongs to you," she murmured, slowly. "No matter what. I know I... can be prickly..."

Nick shook with his laughter. "That's one word for it."

"But these two weeks have been some of the worst of my life. The two men who are most important to me have been gone." He pulled back and she gazed into his eyes, relaxing when she saw the tenderness there. "And I was responsible for it."

Nick shook his head and brushed his fingertips against her cheek. "I told you. We'll get him out."

She gave him a brief smile. "I hope so."

"I know it." He gave her a long, sweet kiss. "So your heart belongs to me, huh."

She smiled again, and it lit up her face, especially when she saw the way he gazed at her in return. "Those cheekbones really do something to me."

He chuckled and caught her earlobe between his lips, then followed the line of her neck down to her shoulder. "And all of you really does something to me."


End file.
